Nominations Open for the 2017 Intelligent Community of the Year Awards Program

Submitting communities will be entered into awards consideration and receive written report comparing them to ICF's global data set

(June 28, 2016 – New York City, NY, USA) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) is accepting nominations for the 2017 Intelligent Community of the Year Awards Program. The 2017 Awards Program run by the New York-based think tank will name the 19th Intelligent Community of the Year at the Intelligent Community Awards Dinner, taking place during the ICF Summit on June 8, 2017 in New York City. The Intelligent Community of the Year is a community that is a leader in creating inclusive economic prosperity, solving social problems and enriching quality of life using information and communications technology (ICT). The 2016 recipient was Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Communities large and small, urban and rural, in developing and industrialized nations are all invited to apply, and will be evaluated using a methodology that gives large and small communities equal weight. Nominations are accepted from local governments, institutions, companies, non-profit organizations, national government agencies and consular offices. There is no cost to submit a nomination. Every community that submits a nomination will be entered into consideration for the awards program, as well as receive a written report detailing how they compare to ICF's global data set of Intelligent Communities.

Nominations for the 2017 Awards will close on September 21, 2016. Cities, counties and regions may submit a completed questionnaire at any time during the year, however, and will be considered for the next round of the Awards program.

“Every community submitting a questionnaire receives valuable feedback at no cost," said ICF co-founder Robert Bell. "Those named to the Smart21 begin a journey toward global recognition as one of the leading models for economic and human development, with all the benefits it brings to their economies and cultures.”

The 2017 Theme: The Internet of CitiesICF's 2017 theme is “The Internet of Cities” – an up-close and provocative look at how information and communications technology (ICT) challenges every city, region and town to outperform its past.

In the broadband economy – the worldwide marketplace created by the Internet – local economic success depends on the global economy in ways we never before imagined. That gives a powerful advantage to places that are used to competing on the world stage, but also calls on them to redefine what has made them successful for a new era.

For places that are not used to global competition, meanwhile, the broadband economy enormous challenge and unprecedented opportunity. The future of the place called home literally depends on the choices that mayors, city managers, IT professionals and economic developers make today.

About the Intelligent Community ForumThe Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org), headquartered in New York, is a global movement of 134 cities, towns and regions. As an international think tank and Foundation, ICF studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the new demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology (ICT). To help cities and towns build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, the Intelligent Community Forum conducts research, hosts global events, publishes books, and produces its high-profile annual international awards program. The Forum has two Institutes in North America dedicated to the study of the movement, with more institutes planned. Global leaders, thinkers, and media observers follow and participate in the ongoing global dialogue initiated by the Intelligent Community Forum. In 2012 ICF was invited to participate at the Nobel Peace Prize conference in Oslo and in 2014, its model and work was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which, according to the American government, was "aimed at creating a more flexible and responsive system of workforce development to meet the needs of employers looking to fill 21st century jobs.” The Forum’s Foundation has an association made up of 134 designated Intelligent Communities worldwide, which is represented by mayors and key civic leaders. For more information, go to www.icf-foundation.org. For more details on the Intelligent Community Forum’s recent publications and programs, www.intelligentcommunity.org.

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The Intelligent Community Forum is a global network with a think tank at its center. It connects hundreds of cities and regions on five continents for collaboration on economic development and for exchange of expertise and information that drives progress. Through this network, ICF researches how Intelligent Communities use information and communications technology to build inclusive prosperity, solve social problems and enrich their quality of life in our connected century.